Business

Summerset Group Holdings, the listed retirement village, has been granted resource consent for its $80 million Wigram village, its first in Christchurch. The new site will have some 200 units, including villas, townhouses and care apartments as well as 50 hospital-level beds, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. Building will begin next month with first homes opening late next year. …

Graeme Harrison, chairman of meat company Anzco Foods, is to fund a new professorial chair in global value chains and trade at Lincoln University, initially for a term of five years.  The new position will sit within the university’s agribusiness and commerce faculty, which already has a global value chain and trade department. The university declined to release financial details …

Kiwi scientist Dr Phil Rolston has been awarded the Chinese Government’s most prestigious science prize for his work in grasslands seed development.  Dr Rolston, Senior Scientist at AgResearch Lincoln, received the award at a ceremony in The Great Hall of the People which was attended by President Xi Jinping, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang, and Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang. …

Rod Duke, majority shareholder and managing director of Briscoe Group, has refused comment on market speculation that he may take control of struggling childswear retailer Pumpkin Patch.  Pumpkin Patch hired Goldman Sachs late last year to advise on its capital and funding requirements and said a share issue was an option after warning it could breach banking covenants if Christmas …

 Fairfax Media plans to raise about A$96 million by selling its Perth-based  radio station 96FM to APN News & Media and merging its remaining radio assets with Macquarie Radio Network.  APN will acquire 96FM for A$78 million using cash and existing debt facilities, subject to regulatory approvals, rounding out its suite of state capital stations in Australia. Meanwhile, Fairfax will merge …

This report features in-depth coverage of the Deloitte Top 200 Award 2014 winners including NZ’s top company, chief executive and chairman. We looked at dynamic trends affecting New Zealand business and how leading business executives were driving their companies in new directions through dynamic change. We also updated the diversity trends in the New Zealand workforce and looked at ‘best …

Bank of China (NZ)  signed MOU with two of New Zealand’s best known companies; Air New Zealand and NZX. The signing of the memorandum with NZX was included as part of the official state visit to New Zealand this week by China’s President Xi Jinping. Both the Chinese President and John Key witnessed the signing at a function in Karaka, South Auckland. Bank …

Here’s a quick snapshot of what NZ Business is saying about yesterday’s conclusion of the FTA agreement NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS FORUM  (NZIBF) welcomes end of marathon negotiations –  delighted Trade Minister Groser and his officials have got it over the line. NZIBF Chairman Sir Graeme Harrison noted  Korea is a significant trading partner for New Zealand and a number of …

Gower: Barack Obama yesterday called Vladimir Putin a threat to the world. Do you agree with that? Key: Potentially. If you look at what’s happening in Ukraine and the wider, sort of, Eastern Bloc and the, you know, potential motivations and intentions, it’s a very serious situation, and I think that’s why you are seeing countries respond, and I think …